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About
Norwegian
Cruise
Line...
Owned by Star Cruises of Malaysia since March 2000,
Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is notable for revolutionizing the
cruise experience by introducing "Freestyle Cruising," which translates to
dine-as-you-like options by way of a variety of restaurants and your choice of
casual or formal attire. NCL is also carving itself a niche in the homeland
cruising specialty, featuring a number of continental U.S. homeports -- NCL
offers the only year-round service out of New York on its Norwegian Dawn and,
starting in fall, 2005, Norwegian Spirit. That ship will offer 10- and 11-night
Southern Caribbean itineraries from the Big Apple.
Another distinction is
NCL's revolutionary (for mass-market cruising) disembarkation policy, so relaxed
that is more resort-like than cruise-like. In addition, it is the only cruise
line to offer year-round Hawaiian itineraries. Beyond that, NCL's earned quite a
distinctive coup with its NCL America program. With U.S.-flagged ships, the
company is the only cruise line in the industry to offer year-round seven day
inter-island Hawaii cruises with round-trip itineraries from
Honolulu.
Starting with one ship in 1966, NCL was first established by
Oslo-based Klosters Rederi A/S, one of Norway's oldest and most respected
shipping firms. Its first ship (M/S Sunward) repositioned from Europe to the
then-obscure Port of Miami for Caribbean cruising. Adding four more vessels by
1971 and the former S/S France (renamed the Norway) in 1979, NCL was on its way
to becoming an industry leader and one of the largest cruise companies in the
world. NCL acquired the one-ship Orient Lines in 1998; its Marco Polo offers
destination-oriented cruising to exotic ports of call.
Currently, NCL is a nine-ship cruise line (plus two in NCL
America) with vessels that range from ultra-contemporary to older and
refurbished. The Norway, NCL's only genuinely "classic" ship, suffered a tragic
boiler accident in 2003 which has permanently disabled it. Cumulatively, the
ships sail to some 140 ports around the world. NCL ships can be divided into
these categories:
Older -- Expanded and/or
Refurbished -- Vessels. Numerous ships in NCL's fleet have been expanded via
the stretching of their mid-sections. These include Norwegian Dream (launched in
1992), Norwegian Majesty (1992) and Norwegian Wind (1998). Norwegian Crown
(1998) and Norwegian Sea (1988) haven't been stretched, but have recently
received extensive refurbishments. Regardless of the improvements, NCL has
announced that it will revolve these ships out of the fleet by 2010, to be
replaced by designed-for-Freestyle vessels.
"Freestyle"-Designed
Ships. Norwegian Sky (now Pride of Aloha), built in 1999, was the first ship
in the fleet to incorporate "Freestyle Cruising" -- though Norwegian Sun,
launched in 2001, was actually the first vessel to be designed with the concept
in mind (the big difference is that the latter has two more restaurants than the
former). Following were relative sister ships Norwegian Star, which debuted in
2001, and Norwegian Dawn, which premiered in 2002. NCL has nabbed an additional
"Freestyle"-designed ship; parent company Star Cruises has traded in its
SuperStar Leo in exchange for Norwegian Sea (which will leave NCL's fleet in
fall 2005). Leo, renamed Norwegian Spirit, currently sails exotic Caribbean
routes from Miami but will move to New York in late 2005.
NCL America. This
spin-off subsidiary offers inter-island Hawaii sailings on what will be the
company's two American-flagged vessels, Pride of America and Pride of Aloha. As
a result of severe flooding damage to Pride of America during a storm in January
2004 at its shipyard in Bremerhaven, NCL has delayed its launch (Pride of
America is the first new ocean-going passenger ship to be built in 50 years that
will sail under the American flag). Instead, Pride of Aloha was rushed into
refurbishment and sails a schedule of seven-night trips originally intended for
Pride of America. Pride of America, launched in June of 2005.
In
expansion news, NCL recently announced it would be adding two more new-builds to
its fleet. The ships, slated for delivery in 2005 (Norwegian Jewel is set to
debut in August) and 2006, will be built at Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard and
will be inspired, by and large, by the design of Norwegian Star and Norwegian
Dawn.
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CRUISECLEVER - NORWEGIAN
CRUISE
LINE
